Ways to make marketing less confusing, stand out from competitors'

Since connected people commonly report feeling overwhelmed by email, social media and marketing messages, businesses are challenged to find the most effective way to promote a small business in ways that make people actually pay attention.

Although humor and creativity are several ways to attract customers, not all people appreciate the tactics: According to a survey in a recent Entrepreneur article, 84 percent of consumers trust companies who "tell it to them straight" using plain language free of jargon and fancy communication.

While some business will continue to use humor because it works for them, other businesses may want to consider using the following marketing strategies to make messages stand out from competitors':

- Just because experts suggest using simple language in marketing materials does not mean use boring language. Sometimes, the most simple words can bring a product or business description to life and intrigue consumers enough that they will want to learn more about a company - or even buy a product. Entrepreneur recommends staying away from overused words like "hot" and "best," instead sticking with less-used descriptive words that are energetic and make people want to act quickly.

- Marketing may benefit from clear language, but it also helps when the thinking behind the campaign is clear. Business owners or marketers should have a clear understanding of the business and the intended marketing message, because customers will have a difficult time learning about the company if the marketing message is confusing

- Descriptive words may not only jazz up a product or business description, they can also paint a picture for the people privy to the marketing message. Using unique descriptions will make a product stand out from competitors, and keywords like "family-owned" may bring out an emotional side of consumers who want to support a local business, according to Entrepreneur.

- Complex writing using simple words can be just as destructive to a marketing campaign as flowery words and complicated language. Although marketing writing greatly depends on the target audience, it may be important to remember that most Americans read at an eighth-grade level, so complicated sentences may actually distract people from the intended marketing message.

- If a marketing campaign is released with little success, track results and try a new tactic. Perhaps the target audience actually responds better to humor and funny marketing tools, in which case a creative campaign would be most beneficial.